


The way I love you

by Puhoy



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: I'll add warnings as the story progresses, I'm Sorry, I'm planning to make this p sad and happy too, M/M, Modern times yo, attempted suicide, everyone's a human, mentions of alphys/undyne - Freeform, mentions of toriel/sans, not rlly the main focus tho :0, papyton
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-22
Updated: 2017-11-24
Packaged: 2018-05-02 11:25:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5246561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Puhoy/pseuds/Puhoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"There's never been enough words to express my feelings for you and there'll never be enough, darling. I know it may not mean much, but, I love you. "</p><p>--------</p><p>In which my favorite gay robot and the cinnamon roll learn how hard it is to make it out alive in this world.</p><p>----</p><p>*I've decided to resume writing this fic after over a year had passed*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Sans? Saaaaaaans!" Papyrus shouted for his brother from down the hall, while managing to balance an unnecessary amount of shipping boxes in both of his arms. Instead of an actual response from is brother, Papyrus heard more of a grumbling groan than anything else and then an 'okay' mixed in with it. While waiting for Sans to eventually unlock the door for him, Papyrus leaned against the wall next to the door, it was easier to keep hold of the boxes, but of course it was an easy task for such an astounding person like himself! 

After a few minutes Papyrus felt a tapping on his shoulder, startled, he looked down at the rather short person. Oh, Sans had finally made it there and in record time! Papyrus pushed himself off the ugly shade of wall while his brother was busy with unlocking the door.

It wasn't until the third attempt at the lock that Sans managed to open the door with a rather hard push with his shoulder. Papyrus shot his brother a nervous smile and Sans simply shrugged back in response before walking into the apartment; Papyrus followed suit. 

"Are you sure you don't want to stay with me and Toriel? We'd be happy to have you.." Sans said as Papyrus placed the boxes down by the door gladly before turning back to his brother.

"I told you, I'm going to be fine! There's nothing that I, _the great Papyrus_ , can't handle! Besides, you and Toriel are married now, plus, I want to make this place my own, Sans. I'll visit you often, though! " Papyrus promised him to ease his worries. 

Sans seemed to contemplate this for a quick few seconds and then sighed, and nodded. Papyrus smiled at this, silently celebrating his victory of independence. Sure, he loved his brother VERY much, but it was also great to do things on his own! He began to wonder how life would be like without his older brother constantly watching his back. He decided it wouldn't be as bad as it sounded. He was caught off guard when Sans started waving a hand in his face, most likely to catch his attention.

"Papyrus, are you listening?" Sans asked while raising an eyebrow. He was always good at the one eyebrow raise and that made Papyrus always want to learn how to do it. He was getting there! Sure, he could raise both of his eyebrows which meant he was halfway there, obviously!

"Yes! Absolutely, Sans! My ears are _very_ capable of listening! Which is what I'm doing right now." Papyrus grinned at his brother, feeling as though his brother was none the wiser that he had been zoning out all along. Sans rolled his eyes and nodded along, probably being too tired to actually say anything else about being able to listen and actively listening. 

"Just remember, Paps, if I hear about _anything_ happening that I don't like, you're coming to live with me and Toriel. No arguing...and with that, I'm leaving; Toriel's baking her famous butterscotch and cinnamon pie and I don't want to miss it." Sans grinned towards the end, relishing in the fact that Toriel practically made that pie every night and he honestly didn't mind. She was an amazing cook and he was pretty much head over heels in love with her, which practically everyone knew.

The younger brother cleared his throat, feeling a bit awkward, and began to shuffle towards the boxes; really anticipating some time to be alone and unpack. It was great to have his brother around, though sometimes, he just needed to be by himself. 

"Well, Sans! You've got Toriel's pie to be heading back to and I've got a lovely time with boxes that need to be unpacked! It's been great seeing you, brother! I'll call you later!" Papyrus began talking at a rather quick pace while gently nudging his brother towards the door. On the way out, he swore he heard his brother chime in a pun about something he said, though he wasn't sure which pun it was. Finally he managed to get Sans outside his apartment and slam the door, only to open it slowly again.

"I'm sorry, Sans. That was too cruel, I didn't mean it. It was silly of me to do that, oh please forgive me!" Papyrus spoke to Sans, while the brother was just snickering at the apology. 

"Don't sweat it, Papyrus. Although, it was a pretty _pore_ excuse to slam a door." Sans replied with an added touch of wiggling his eyebrows. 

"I'm not sorry anymore!!" Papyrus shouted before closing the door a lot more gently this time. 

Finally, he was alone. 

 

Hours had passed and a rather intense game of unpack the boxes had been played by Papyrus, seeing as how a good majority of trinkets in the boxes and other things had been unpacked and placed about what Papyrus could now call his. He wiped his brow from the sweat accumulating there and stepped back a few to see the work he had done, feeling quite accomplished indeed! Everything seemed to be in place, well, almost everything.

The only thing left to put in place were a few picture frames.

One of the frames contained a picture of him and Sans, grinning into the camera against a rather busy background of people. The next was of him and Undyne, it was somewhat blurry and angled oddly but that's what he loved about it. The three others frames were empty, but that didn't stop him from placing it on furniture for the future, when he became very popular and made so many more amazing friends!

While about to plop down on the small couch that had been left there from previous owners, Papyrus noticed something out of the corner of his eye that he hadn't seen before. How had he missed such a glorious thing?! It was a little sliding door that led to a balcony over the streets below. Papyrus immediately bounced back up from almost sitting down and made his way towards the glass door. 

He slid it open, with a bit of difficulty, and a few attempts before getting the sliding door on the track. Papyrus stepped outside of his apartment and onto the balcony, looking over the city below which filled him with happiness. The view was absolutely drop dead gorgeous and it solidified his thought on the apartment; it was everything he ever wanted! Although, consumed in these thoughts and being rather excited about the balcony he didn't know he had, Papyrus almost missed the figure shifting a bit on the balcony next to him.

Papyrus tried not to outright stare at what would be his new neighbor, so he instead eyed the person from the side- that was funny. The man was on the wrong side of the railing!

Papyrus turned towards the raven haired person who seemed to be looking down at the concrete sidewalk that was a few stories below. He was going to try and not be rude about this, but the man seemed like he was going to fall at any moment if he let go of the railing behind him. 

"Excuse me, new neighbor..." Papyrus began, which immediately caught the man's attention, who quickly turned his head to look at him with wide eyes. Papyrus couldn't really pinpoint what emotion he saw on the stranger's face, though he did pinpoint a confusing mix of fear, grief, and shock. The grip on the railing tightened slightly, turning the man's already pale skin to almost a ghostly white color.

"I wasn't sure if you knew this or not, but, you're standing on the wrong side of the rail." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh geeze louise this is my first fic ever and i want to apologize in advance for how much i probably butchered everyone's characterization!! ono'' Your feedback is appreciated btw!! Please tell me what you think of it so far!! (If it wasn't clear, the neighbor was mettaton who was about to jump)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to thank you guys for the lovely comments on Chapter 1!! Thank you very much! I am very excited to be writing this and I hope you guys stick along for the ride!

The next few moments that ensued were those of tense silence and prolonged eye contact between Papyrus and the man who was a step between the enormous gap to meet the concrete. Papyrus wasn't sure why but the person standing on the other balcony seemed as if he was quietly begging for help; a stretched out hand, a gesture, a smile, something. So Papyrus, being himself, went about the situation in a different direction. 

"What's your name? You can call me Papyrus!" He greeted the stranger with a wide smile. 

The man grew apprehensive at the cheery greeting he had received right when he was preparing to jump. 

"It's-" His voice cracked just a bit, after clearing his throat, he tried again. "Mettaton." Now that names were known and hello's were said, there was one question remaining. He seemed like a pretty knowledgeable person, so why was this man, Mettaton, peering down into the city below from the wrong side? Mettaton could probably guess the question that Papyrus had.

Mettaton glanced around a bit before mumbling an "I know..." to Papyrus and lifted himself over the railing onto the balcony. Mettaton was about to head inside after feeling rather embarrassed about this whole encounter when Papyrus called to him. 

"Excuse me, Mettaton! Would you like to come over for dinner! I make a pretty mean spaghetti, it's not actually mean and won't insult you, I mean it's really really good! " Papyrus spoke quickly and a bit louder than needed. Mettaton seemed to consider the offer carefully, spaghetti didn't sound too bad right now. He nodded his head towards Papyrus. At the response, Papyrus seemed to visibly light up in surprise and excitement.

"I don't see why not. It better be astounding, though. I expect nothing less." Mettaton said, complimenting the words with a signature wink on which he proudly called his. After the lovely response, he headed back inside, closing the sliding door behind him.

Papyrus smiled to himself, celebrating a silent victory of getting to know one of his neighbors. He hoped they would be the best of friends! Surely, the great Papyrus would be able to win him over with his perfect cooking! 

He rushed inside, almost tripping over one of the numerous empty boxes. He hissed to himself, as he made his way into the kitchen while yanking a few pans from the cabinet he had previously stored them in not even an hour ago. 

Cooking was definitely an experience, to say the least, and Papyrus was determined not to ruin the new kitchen the first day of cooking that was for sure. So, he, being the great master of cooking, used the utmost care in doing everything possible. Papyrus found himself so wrapped up in creating his masterpiece, remembering Undyne's cooking lessons, and singing rather loudly with no music, that he almost didn't hear the knocking on his door. Papyrus turned off the stove and moved the pan of spaghetti to the counter and rushed to greet his guest. 

Papyrus had taken a quick moment to fix himself up and yank off the apron saying "kiss the skeleton", tossing it behind the couch and finally, he opened the door. He was attempting to lean on the door frame, like he had seen done numerous times, and yet, it failed. Papyrus, instead, unceremoniously missed the door frame, catching himself during the fall. He quickly became upright once more and then leaned against the frame properly this time. 

"H-hey Mettaton! It is I, Papyrus, in case you have forgotten, but I doubt you have! Please, do come in!" Papyrus greeted him with a smile.

Although the invitation was clear, Mettaton just stood outside of the door, looking Papyrus up and down, obviously thinking about his words.

"I would darling, but, you're kind of blocking my way." Mettaton pointed out with a chuckle, while Papyrus on the other hand began to turn as red as the tomato smashed into oblivion previously for his special spaghetti sauce. 

"I definitely knew that! There is nothing that I am unaware of, nothing anymore, that is! I'll admit, I didn't know that before but now I definitely do." Papyrus quickly moved out of the way, as Mettaton entered the apartment. The first thing Papyrus noticed about him, was, although he wasn't as small as Sans, Mettaton seemed fragile. Like, at any moment, one misstep, one wrong move, and this person standing inside his home would break. Papyrus noted this as he continued to examine Mettaton who looked around the place, taking it all in.

"Not to sound _too_ rude, Papyrus, but where's the food?" Mettaton asked, snapping Papyrus out of his thoughts and back to the current moment. Ah, yes! The food! Mettaton watched him with attentiveness as Papyrus made his way haphazardly to the kitchen, yelling for just one moment. Out he came with two plates with a large amount of spaghetti on each plate, topped with his special sauce he developed by yours truly (the answer is Papyrus of course!!!). 

"The seats are a little uncomfortable since they're pretty new, so we can sit on the floor instead! We can also use it as a table, how convenient!" Papyrus beamed at Mettaton for being so clever to come up with the idea. Mettaton seemed a little hesitant to sit on the floor, but gave a sigh and nodded, taking a seat in front of Papyrus on the floor with the plate in front of him. 

"Y'know, Papyrus, it doesn't look that bad." Mettaton commented as he took the fork from the plate and began to twirl the pasta around it idly, not really paying much attention to the food itself, instead to the odd man in front of him who had began to ramble on and on about how he cooked the pasta and made the sauce and the unique techniques only a master chef could use to create such a dish. Mettaton nodded along. After quite the exercise with the neck, Mettaton took a bite in the food; only to practically choke on it. 

Papyrus watched with a smile "It has a lot of flavor, doesn't it! What do you think of it? Does it surpass your expectations?" Papyrus questioned while Mettaton managed to swallow the lump in his throat along with the pasta, giving a pained smile in return. 

"It is indeed...something." Mettaton began.

"Yes but do you like it?" Papyrus asked.

"I-it was amazing, darling. Very flavorful. I have never tasted anything like it in my entire life. I don't think I can finish this, one bite is enough to fill my taste buds with satisfaction." What a lie Mettaton had just told, yet, he couldn't really find it in him to lie to Papyrus, who seemed like an excited puppy. Mettaton did not kick little puppies, even if they may or may not have just tried to poison him. 

"So, Papyrus, you just moved here, right? Tell me about yourself..." Mettaton spurred on the conversation to get off topic of his huge lie, resting his head on his hands, watching Papyrus intently.

"There's so many things to talk about! I guess I can tell you about my brother, Sans!" Papyrus began, making wild gesticulations as he went on and on about something and everything he could; Mettaton didn't mind one bit. He realized something while sitting in the small living room with a stranger he had just met, avoiding a spaghetti that tasted otherworldly. This was something he could and wanted to get used to. 

Stories had been told and histories had been shared, it was around 11 PM by the time the two of them had snapped out of their conversation that branched on forever from one topic to another. Although, there were a few times that Mettaton grew silent and stared at the floor or seemed so out of it, but Papyrus always managed to bring him out of that state and back into the conversation. Soon enough, Papyrus noticed that Mettaton had been eyeing the clock a bit more than usual and was curious as to the reason. Maybe, he just really liked knowing the time. Finally, Mettaton made eye contact with him. 

"It's getting rather late, I should go get my beauty sleep." Mettaton began, standing up. "Thank you for the time, Papyrus. Your meal was quite memorable." He added in, stretching his legs as Papyrus stood up as well, placing the two plates on the counter. 

"I can walk you home!" Papyrus offered.

"Sweetpea, I live right next door." Mettaton chuckled.

"That is very true! I revise my plan, and will walk you to your door, instead!" Papyrus decided, opening the door to the hallway, waiting for Mettaton to follow. Once Mettaton had exited the room, Papyrus walked right by Mettaton's side to his door. 

"Thank you, deary. I do appreciate it." Mettaton spoke, going through his keys and picking out one of the many on his ring. He unlocked the door with a bit more ease than Papyrus had with his own. 

"I bid you adieu~" He purred to Papyrus, quickly blowing a kiss in his direction before closing the door behind him. 

Papyrus, on the other hand, stood there wide eyed and red, redder than he had ever been. He rushed back to his room after realizing he was staring at a wooden door for three minutes and quickly whipped out his phone and dialed a number automatically.

The person on the other end answered and sounded groggy, as if Papyrus had just woken them up.

"Sans, you'll never believe it! I made a new friend! That's one more to the tally! Yes, Sans, I know you were sleeping. Alright, Sans....goodnight brother." Papyrus hung up the phone and placed it on the charger before crawling into his bed, eventually falling asleep to dreams of spaghetti and the man on the balcony; each was sweet in its own way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive my poor Mettaton writing skills ;n;  
> Anyways, whew, another chapter done! I hope you enjoyed it!  
> Please do tell me what you think of it so far!!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay just imagine this whole chapter being written while I scream at the top of my lungs and banging around pots and pans, crying and redoing it a bunch of times. Sorry it took way longer to write than the other two chapters!!! I kept restarting it, whoops!! But anyways, thank you for all the lovely feedback on chapter 2, I love hearing from you guys so much, it makes me really happy to know you guys enjoy it!!! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Mettaton was a rather peculiar person, in many ways that one might not have guessed by assumption. One of these oddities of Mettaton was the fact that he openly admitted he enjoyed mornings, not so much in the traditional sense and appreciating it by getting up at the crack of dawn and sitting watching the sunrise, but instead due to the fact that because of mornings, he got to sleep in later! That was his all-time favorite activity to do, not actually, but he would deny anything else. 

Despite his all time record of sleeping in every single morning since he had moved into the apartment; some of his own choice, other times were because he couldn't bring himself to do anything more; today had been the one to break the streak he was ever so proud of. 

It was currently 5:52 AM and Mettaton was laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling with wide eyes, he could have sworn that one of them twitched every once in a while. He had been awake since 5:20 and hadn't been able to go back to sleep. It wasn't because his body simply resisted, oh no, he was beyond exhausted, it was just due to the fact that the room next to him was blasting music and making quite a ruckus that it only left Mettaton to wonder what the hell his new neighbor was doing. 

It was finally at 6:15 that Mettaton snapped, tossing himself out of bed haphazardly and onto his feet. 

"No use trying to sleep, when it's obvious there's a party going on through these thin walls. Christ, how is anyone supposed to get their beauty sleep." Mettaton hissed tiredly. 

By 6:30 Mettaton was fully dressed, despite how long the painful process took and all the makeup as well that he probably didn't need early in the morning yet he wouldn't go anywhere without. He tossed his dirty clothes into a pile in the corner of the bedroom, the clothes had been there for weeks and honestly was growing too large to handle and yet, Mettaton was always putting off doing anything productive at home. He didn't have the energy as of late and clothes were last on his list; he had many more that he could live with for now. 

Mettaton left his apartment, only to go to the one next to it and banged on the door rather quickly and loudly. 

Papyrus opened up with a huge smile on his face dressed in the strangest of garbs, gym shorts, what looked like a headband and a muscle tee. Mettaton wouldn't deny that the look suited him but he still cringed. 

"Oh, Mettaton! Good morning! Have you come over to go on a jog with me? How wonderful!" Papyrus exclaimed, tying his shoes at the door while beaming at the tired man. 

"Papyrus, dear, as... _fun_...as that sounds-" Mettaton began. 

"It really is fun! C'mon, we better hurry up if we want to make it back in time!" Papyrus cut him off before standings up straight and bending his knees one at a time and his arms followed afterwards. Quickly, he turned off the stereo which had been blasting instrumental tunes the whole time.

"In time for what?" Mettaton questioned.

"No time for questions, Mettaton! " Papyrus spoke, grabbing the man's arm and tugging him along. "You have quite strange jogging clothes. But! Whatever works for you works for me!" Papyrus noted while briskly walking down the hall with Mettaton. All the while Papyrus was practically dragging Mettaton through the halls, Mettaton couldn't come up with any words to argue against what was happening. 

They exited the apartments and made their way towards the park located only a few blocks away. Traffic was nonexistent at the moment, in fact, most of the city was sleeping in today; which was unusual. They walked in the middle of the streets, Papyrus rambling on about how jogging in the morning was a great thing to do and how happy he was that he finally had someone to jog with since Sans never followed through with the promises made. By the time the two got to the park, Mettaton didn't have the heart to tell him no, perhaps at the apartment would've been good, but now the opportunity had passed and he dog his grave and was now waiting for someone to toss him in. 

"So where exactly are we jogging to?" Mettaton inquired as Papyrus began to stretch his legs once more. 

"Usually I jog around the border of the city...but for today we can just jog from here to the cafe by the bookstore!" Papyrus answered, grinning as he stood up once more. "You're not gonna stretch?" He asked. 

"Oh, uhm, I already did that. At my place." Mettaton lied, he noticed himself doing that more than lately. How important could stretching be to just go for a light jog? Honestly, the idea of it was pretty silly. 

"Well I shall see you at the cafe!" Papyrus waved, taking off into a full on sprint down the park as Mettaton stood there watching. 

The man groaned as Papyrus faded from his sights, before also taking off in a light jog instead. Jogging wasn't that bad in short distances, Mettaton realized and didn't mind doing it after going through hell to stay awake. As Mettaton began to near a corner, he noticed Papyrus peaking out from behind one of the trashcans stationed on the sidewalk, obviously watching him from afar. Mettaton came to a stop by the trashcan, placing hands on his hips as he looked over at Papyrus and then feigned ignorance. 

"Oh I better hurry up and catch up to Papyrus, that speed demon! Oh.....woe is me.." Mettaton announced placing the back on his hand against his forehead in a dramatic act of being distraught. 

Papyrus busted out from behind the can.

"Fear not, Mettaton! I, the **great** Papyrus, am here to help. I have brought water just in case." Papyrus spoke, while digging through his small bag before yanking out a little water bottle, handing it to Mettaton, who seemed to be rather amused at the act. 

"Great, huh?" 

"The greatest!" 

Mettaton twirled the bottle around, examining it before uncapping it and downing the contents without a second thought. It wasn't until he was taking a break that he noticed how much his legs ached, how much his sides pinched and how much his chest gave him a tight constricting feeling. The water didn't seem to help as much. 

He capped the bottle up and placed it into the trashcan. 

"Well, Darling. Let's finish this jog." Mettaton spoke, ending the break, as Papyrus nodded rather excitedly.

Three blocks later and Mettaton was gasping for air and practically on the verge of wheezing, he had to stop. Papyrus noticed this and stopped as well, walking back towards him briskly with concern on his face. 

"Are- are you okay, Mettaton? Do you need medical assistance?" Papyrus asked worriedly. 

The man currently on the verge of a dramatic death shook his head profusely, swatting Papyrus away when he tried to reach for him to help him up. There was a long pause before either of them said anything, only filled with Mettaton's labored breathing and cars that occasionally passed by.

"We don't have to jog anymore if you can't handle it." Papyrus offered, Mettaton in return shot his head up, looking at Papyrus with a bit more determination than he's had in a long time. 

"No." 

"What?"

"I'm going to finish this." 

And with that, Mettaton took off in a blind fury, rushing down the sidewalk as quickly as he could go, or as quickly his high heels would let him run. 

The two met up outside of the cafe, Papyrus jogging up nonchalantly to the door to see Mettaton sprawled out on the bench outside in agony. 

"Mettaton!" Papyrus exclaimed, taking the man out of his own thoughts.

"That was amazing! You were so fast! And in heels as well!" Papyrus added in, grinning widely at the man who could only smirk back at him.

"Of course it was, darling. I am Mettaton after all. Don't expect anything less." Mettaton replied. "Now help me up, I can't feel my legs." He added in, stretched his hand out for Papyrus to grab. 

 Papyrus obliged, helping Mettaton up with ease. Although keeping Mettaton up was the more difficult part of the process, as if he was going to fall back over any second. Papyrus kept a steady hand on his shoulder. 

"I believe a celebratory meal is deserved! I'll treat!" Papyrus offered, smiling and nudging his head towards the cafe they were standing outside.

Mettaton raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Wh-I mean, yes, of course. I'll accept the offer, it's the least I could do." Mettaton joked.

"Wonderful!" Papyrus beamed at him and although it took a minute or so to help Mettaton inside, he didn't mind at all. He was having loads of fun. 

They both were seated in a booth and while they waited for a waitress, they were in idle chatter. Something about weather maybe, or perhaps the neighbors, neither of them could really remember since the topic jumped rather frequently. Although the conversation really had no purpose, it still was enjoyable. 

Mettaton noticed that whenever they moved onto a topic Papyrus was really passionate about, his shoulders perked up slightly and his eyebrows would raise gradually, which, was almost happening constantly since every topic seemed to be his favorite to talk about. 

Their orders came and Papyrus thanked the waitress, while Mettaton gave her a small smile, sparing his words. 

"So what made you decide to get an apartment? Sounds like you have a very loving brother who'd let you stay with him..." Mettaton asked, stirring his tea around with a small spoon while watching Papyrus intently. 

"Sans does love me quite a lot, but I figured that since he just recently go married, that he'd want his space. Plus, as great as it is to have him around; and it's amazing I remind you, I need to do my own thing and lead my own life eventually. So why stall?" Papyrus answered, drinking some of his coffee with a smile. "What about you Mettaton, any reason to move here?" He questioned shortly after. 

Mettaton flashed a smile at him before staring down at his cup, hands placed on both sides of it to warm himself up. 

"I left for a pretty silly reason, now that I think about it. It was...well...I left because of my parents, really. A lot of other things factored into it, like me wanting to make my own name, become famous, which I can't live with my parents to truly do that. Yet, the main reason was..it was them that pushed me to leave." Mettaton shrugged, offering a smile which seemed tinged with sadness this time. "It's rather silly, isn't it?" 

"No, of course not! Whatever reasons you had for leaving are valid!" Papyrus reassured him. 

"I suppose so." Mettaton stirred the tea once more, before finally taking a sip of it. Green tea. 

"Enough about depressing stuff!" Mettaton waved him off with a smile and a small laugh before taking another sip. He wouldn't be lying if he said that the frequent sips were because he was afraid of saying something dumb that might ruin Papyrus's impression of him. Which, although seemed near impossible, still worried the man. 

Papyrus gave him a concerned look before drinking some more. The silence spanned longer between the two, Mettaton's movement seemed forced while Papyrus watched him, observing him, as if he was mentally noting every idiosyncrasy about him. 

 It felt almost painful for Mettaton to strike up conversation after the tense silence, but eventually forced himself to. 

"How old are you?" Mettaton asked, he was usually an expert at placing ages to faces, yet Papyrus was the one exception it seemed. 

"I just turned 23!" Papyrus answered, seeming rather glad that conversation had not been halted for too long. "What about you?" He added in, curious to know. 

"Oh, I'll be turning 22 in about..." Mettaton paused, taking the time to do some mental math, before continuing "four months? Yeah, four." Mettaton confirmed his own answer, more confidently. He smiled at the taller one, who seemed to be unfazed by the previous conversation that was held. 

The next 15 minutes were filled with silly questions about each other, chuckling at little jokes they both made about different things, and cake that was deemed to early for an average person to eat, but they devoured it anyways.

"Hey, this may be a bit sudden, I'm not really sure on the formalities of things, but I'm performing in two weeks and it'd be great if you could come. We could probably catch a bite later. My treat, of course." Mettaton suggested, nervously tapping his foot underneath the table. 

"I'd love to come!" Papyrus happily gave a thumbs up at Mettaton.

"It's a date then!" Mettaton concluded, finishing the last of his tea before standing up. "Excuse me I've got to head to the restroom, darling." Mettaton excused himself, leaving Papyrus sitting there, growing red at the mention of a date. 

He wouldn't mind going on a date with him. 

In fact, Papyrus realized that he really wanted to. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i swear, they just keep getting gayer and gayer  
> also mettaton cant run for shit on an ordinary day, and like me, ends up practically dying after a few minutes


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning(?): There is some drinking in the chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for not finishing this chapter A LOT sooner!!! Wowiee, it's been awhile. Anyways, I do hope you enjoy it, the chapter contains multiple events happening instead of focusing on one thing in particular this time!!!

After the morning endeavor, Papyrus and Mettaton had seen less and less of each other as the days went by. Both were busy with their own things, Papyrus had been focused on finding work and from what Mettaton had told him, he had been busy with preparing for the performance. Even if day-by-day, their conversations had devolved into hello's and goodbye's, it didn't change the fact that in the night they visited one another and seemed to talk forever as for compensation.

Papyrus didn't mind. 

It had been during one of their nightly chats that Mettaton had handed him a ticket to the performance he been raving on about for the past week or so, telling him that it would mean a lot if he went to it. Papyrus nodded vehemently, agreeing as he told Mettaton that nothing in the world would stop him from going; which brought a wide smile to the other's face. They then spent the next few hours finding ridiculous ways to eat fried rice with various objects (Papyrus's idea). 

Neither of them could wait for opening night. 

\---------------

"Sans! Could you possible tie this neck tie for me?" Papyrus called out from the bathroom where he was fussing with the undone bow tie, knotting and twisting the ribbon as if he would magically find the solution and tie it properly. He bit his lip nervously as Sans leaned against the entrance of the bathroom, snickering to himself about the attempt his brother has made. Papyrus made a frustrated whine before bending his knees to Sans' height. 

"Please hurry up and assist me." Papyrus asked, watching Sans reluctantly push off the door frame and make his way over to the taller one.

It was with ease that the brother tied the bow tie, a few tugs and loops, before he stepped back, putting his hands in the air to signal the completion of the task. Papyrus was rather dumbfounded as to how his notoriously lazy brother had tied it with such ease! Perhaps there was a few things to his brother he didn't know. Papyrus saved this thought for another day, and instead, checked himself out in the mirror, smiling widely.

"Wowie, Sans! I look amazing! Irresistible!" Papyrus praised himself, hands on hips and grinning confidently now as his brother chuckled quietly, watching him from afar. 

"Yeah, lookin' pretty fancy, Paps." Sans commented.

"Only the fanciest for the fanciest of events!" Papyrus flattened his suit jacket. 

"Where you off to?" Sans questioned, quirking and eyebrow. Boy, was he good at doing that.

"Metta- My friend has a performance at the Underground tonight! I'll be attending." Papyrus shut off the lights to the bathroom.

"Yeah? The Underground, huh? That's a pretty legitimate venue, Paps." 

"So he's told me." Papyrus found himself in the living room fussing with knickknacks on the banister before swiveling around on his heels towards Sans, displaying himself. "How do I look?" 

Sans propped up two thumbs and a smile, relieving Papyrus. 

"Wonderful" Papyrus sighed. "I really appreciate you coming over here to help me with my outfit." 

"Not a problem, anything for my cool bro." Sans replied, handing him the bouquet of flowers that would've probably gone unnoticed and left at home

With that, the two brothers made their way out of Papyrus's apartment, each heading their separate ways. Sans, to his house to meet up with Toriel, and Papyrus to his car to drive to grab a good seat.

\---------------

Ten Minutes. Papyrus had ten minutes to wait before the show began and he would see Mettaton on stage, performing for a full house. It was somewhat nerve wracking, yet, Papyrus was unsure as to why, it wasn't him on stage. Maybe, it was because it was someone who he knew was on stage and he wanted to see them succeed in front of this sea of people. Papyrus adjusted himself in the red seat, glancing about once more, catching sight of what looked like Mettaton's cousin. Blooky, was it? He'd only ever seen pictures of them and stories from the late night chats about the time Mettaton and them tried to start a band in their garage with their best friend Shyren, only to have their cousin to attend their show. 

Papyrus turned his attention to the buzzing phone in his pocket, pulling it out to check the caller ID. 

Mettaton? 

Confused, Papyrus hit talk and brought the phone up to his ear, only to be attacked by the long string of jumbled words all going by his ear to fast for him to really understand anything the man was saying. 

"Mettaton? Slow down, please." Papyrus spoke, standing up from his seat and making his way out of the row and began to walk to the outside, leaning against the wall, watching the stage through the glass. 

"Okay, just breathe, Mettaton. You'll be alright. Just- just listen to my voice, okay? You'll be wonderful!" Papyrus began an attempt to calm down the man on the phone, who, from what Papyrus could gather, was having a rather large amount of anxiety right before the show. It was quite worrisome to hear someone who for the most part was calm and collected, speak so fast and have their words be so incoherent and being able to hear their heavy breaths from the other side of the phone. 

Papyrus bit his lip nervously, spending a good amount of his time listening to Mettaton babble and rant and breathe, offering his words of encouragement to calm his dear friend. For the most part it worked, and every now and then, between Mettaton's garbled speech, were thank you's and comments of appreciation for Papyrus staying on the line with him. 

Papyrus soon found himself sitting on the ground next to the door, phone against his ear as he offered soothing words and finally managed to calm down Mettaton over the phone. 

"Mettaton? You're going to do amazing. If you get nervous, just look for me. I'm in the third row, center. You'll be fine. Better than fine. I believe in you!" Papyrus said. 

With that, Papyrus finally hung up, after making sure Mettaton hung up first. 

He made his way back to his seat, seeing that the rest of the seats were packed, only a few vacant ones remained, his being one of them. After saying a string of apologies to those he had to cross over just to sit down in his seat, he made sure his phone was on vibrate and relaxed in his seat once more, knowing Mettaton was doing a lot better than when the phone call began. 

Papyrus felt his phone buzz once more from within the depths of his pocket, taking it out he looked at the newly received text message.

_Thank you for everything, darling. xoxo_

\---------------

"It was amazing, Mettaton! Really!" Papyrus exclaimed, throwing his arms into the air in amazement, smiling from cheek to cheek. 

Mettaton stifled a laugh, watching as Papyrus walked quickly down the hallway towards Mettaton, the show had just finished and Papyrus, by the looks of it, had been waiting for Mettaton to finish getting changed out of his costume. 

Before he knew it, Mettaton was being lifted up into the air by two thin, yet long arms. He was spinning, spinning around in the pair of arms, not knowing what hit him until he was placed down once more, staring at the taller one seemingly dumbfounded by the previous actions. 

Papyrus wore a goofy smile still, hands on his hips, beaming down at the other. 

"Have you never experienced a hug before, Mettaton? If that's the case, I need to give you more! Hugs are wonderful and strengthen the...the sturdy bonds of friendship!" Papyrus began once more, opening his arms for another hug before Mettaton quickly stepped backwards, waving his arms in front, acting as a barrier between the two. 

Mettaton laughed nervously. 

"As..wonderful as that hug was, I think I need to stop spinning first." Mettaton explained, blinking a few times too many as Papyrus looked down at him in worry. 

"Are you alright?" Papyrus asked.

Mettaton nodded slowly, finally regaining his bearings. 

"Positive?"

"Positive, deary." 

"Oh! Before I forget, I hope you don't mind, I got you this." Papyrus spoke, reaching into his jacket and yanking out the bouquet of flowers. "They're a little....crushed." Papyrus seemed to deflate at his own realization that he had flattened the flowers from the hug.

Mettaton noticed this and quickly took the bouquet from Papyrus, giving the flowers a big whiff. 

"Even better, Papyrus! How did you know that pressed flowers were my _favorite?_ " Mettaton was quick to act on this, smiling at Papyrus who seemed to brighten up instantly. 

"Well....seeing that I am the _great_ Papyrus, I know many many things! One of them includes that you love pressed flowers!" Papyrus covered for himself, blushing a slight red.

Mettaton chuckled into the flowers, looking away from Papyrus. 

"How about you...and I......gogetsometakeoutandeatatmyplace?" Mettaton offered, his words speeding up near the end.

"Er...could you repeat that?" Papyrus asked, leaning towards Mettaton.

Mettaton cleared his throat. "I said, how about you and I go get some takeout and possibly eat at my place? So I can put these flowers in a vase! I'd hate to have them die on me!" 

Papyrus smiled and nodded. 

"Sounds fantastic!" 

\---------------

"Okay, Paps, I'm not saying that I _wouldn't_ smooch a ghost, but, I totally would. " Mettaton chuckled to himself, downing the last of the alcohol in his cup. 

Papyrus watched, rather amused at the display of Mettaton being very talkative and blunt when he was drunk, and boy, did he really down the drinks as quick as he poured them. 

"Yes, yes, smooching a ghost doesn't sound _too_ bad. Depends on the ghost." Papyrus joked as he grinned at the drunk man in front of him who was hanging upside down off the couch, grinning madly back at him. It was really interesting to see this side of Mettaton, he'd only ever seen the "sophisticated and dramatic" side of him that this was the most intriguing thing ever. Papyrus took a sip of water, while Mettaton himself seemed to have a thing for fruity alcoholic drinks, Papyrus was a sober man and refused to touch the stuff.

Here they were, Papyrus sitting on the floor, and Mettaton hanging off the couch giggling like an idiot at his own questions. Papyrus found it rather endearing, and couldn't help but smile as he loosened his bow tie. In fact, it was only now, in the calm of Mettaton's house, that Papyrus noticed how warm it was here, maybe it was just him sitting with someone who was strikingly attractive and not the fact that he was wearing three layers of clothing in a well heated apartment, sitting right next to the heater. Papyrus peeled off his coat and the jacket underneath, folding it neatly while he listened to Mettaton ramble on about something. 

He hummed and nodded occasionally to whatever Mettaton was saying while paying attention to his own task that he hadn't even noticed that Mettaton was no longer half off the couch, no, instead, Mettaton's new location was behind Papyrus, arms wrapped around him and head resting on his shoulder. 

"M-mettaton?" Papyrus began, nervously, caught off guard; the only thing he could think of was how warm the man was.

"Yes, darling~?" Mettaton purred, causing blood to rush to Papyrus's cheeks, never hearing such an obviously seducing voice right next to his ear. 

"I think it's time for you to go to bed." His words were quicker, and Papyrus was now facing the flooring, feeling the weight of Mettaton and the exact shaking of his body from the laugh that arose from him. 

"Only if you promise to come with me..." 

So, Mettaton was even a bigger flirt while drunk, Papyrus noticed, while tracing the wood of the floor.

"I-I'm not too sure about that, Mettaton...You're drunk and it would be very inappropriate for me to take advantage of that." Papyrus reasoned. 

Papyrus felt the weight on his back vanish, he turned around to see Mettaton standing up with a small smile. 

"Relax...nothing is gonna happen, pappy." Mettaton slurred, tugging at Papyrus's hands, his best attempt to yank him to his feet.

Papyrus obliged, standing up and following Mettaton to his bedroom. He watched as Mettaton kicked off his shoes and plopped down onto the bed. The drunk motioned for Papyrus to come over there, hesitantly, Papyrus did so, watching Mettaton lay on the bed.

"Tuck me in, will you~" 

"Y-yes, okay, that is something I can do!" Papyrus said, grabbing the ends of the blanket and pulling them over Mettaton. Usually, his brother was the one who did the tucking when they were little, so it was a little sloppy and took longer than needed. Mettaton was patient. Papyrus then fluffed the pillows, letting Mettaton lay his head down afterwards.

"Is this good?" Papyrus asked.

"Wonderful." 

"I'll be going then!" Papyrus quickly headed for the door before being stopped by Mettaton calling out to him.

"Could you maybe stay here a little longer? Until I fall asleep?" He requested. 

Papyrus couldn't refuse. Not to Mettaton, not then and there. So, he sat down in the chair placed by the side of Mettaton's bed, and told Mettaton a story that he had memorized from all the nights Sans had read to him. It was short and sweet but still fulfilling for Mettaton. He was fast asleep by then, and Papyrus didn't realize this until ten minutes later after sitting in silence, admiring the sleeping man. He cleaned up the small livingroom, tossed out the trash, and left without making a sound, leaving only a small note on the table addressed to Mettaton, for when he awoke. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I absolutely love hearing what you think of it in the comments below!!!! I definitely will try to write chapters in a more "timely" manner. I hope you all had happy holidays and please have a lovely new year!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I want to thank you all for the kind words you've sent me and the amazing response people have had towards this fic. Thank you so much!!!

"Papyrussssss" Mettaton groaned out in pain, pushing hair out of his face in absolute torture.

Mettaton was currently halfway off the couch, covered in numerous layers of blankets and pillows and heating pads, almost anything that Papyrus could find that would produce comfort. Who would've known that when all were added together, it was absolute hell, basically as hot as it as well. Mettaton groaned a few more times, loud enough for Papyrus to hear from the kitchen where he was making soup for the young man. Papyrus chuckled at the fact that Mettaton, with one very serious hangover from last night's drinking fiasco, was still the same, maybe just a little bit more needier and louder. He didn't mind Mettaton being that way, though, it was endearing and he didn't want him to change one bit. 

"Just a second, Mettaton! The soup's almost ready!" Papyrus called from the kitchen, practically juggling different pans and pots and spoons and packages, as if it was some elaborate maneuver for the olympics, he was treating it as seriously as one as well. Although, what Papyrus was concocting could be classified as pasta, it was a lot more special than a regular spaghetti. It was his family's secret recipe! Passed down from generation to generation, treated with secrecy and delicacy, Papyrus has memorized the recipe and ingredients word by word. 

Did soup require flipping the pan? No, wait, pasta didn't require a pan at all. It was all the same anyways, right? Yeah! Papyrus grinned to himself, pouring the soup from the pan into the pot, and stirring it around a bit. 

Papyrus exited the kitchen and made his way to the couch, looking at a rather warm looking Mettaton. Mettaton stared back, eyes lidded, and a hand against his forehead. 

"Please Papyrus...take these off.." Mettaton begged, wriggling around under all the covers before finally kicking them off repeatedly. It was a slow process, Mettaton was out of energy from last night and there were quite a lot of layers. Papyrus helped near the end and picked up the rest from off the floor, balling it up and placing it aside of the couch to deal with later. Of course, Mettaton didn't own all these blankets and such, Papyrus contributed to the monstrous pile of warmth by bringing over all of his blankets and even going out to the store to buy a few more, insisting they were of the utmost importance that he bought them for Mettaton. 

Papyrus placed the back of his hand against Mettaton's forehead, feeling for his temp. 

"Hmmm, your fever's gone down!" Papyrus exclaimed, smiling widely. 

"Papyrus....it's a hangover, not a cold." Mettaton corrected, gently swatting away Papyrus's hand. 

"Same difference!" Papyrus stated, as triumphantly as ever. 

"What's that sound?" Mettaton questioned, shooting upright before regretting it right after.

"What's what sound?" Papyrus asked, leaning closer to Mettaton. 

"It's..it's a...it's sounds like water?" Mettaton wasn't so sure himself. He leaned over the edge of the couch, trying to see past Papyrus who was blocking the way. "Papyrus....please move.." Mettaton hissed, not having much patience anymore.

"You just lay back down and I'll tend to the noise, whatever it may or may not be." Papyrus said, forcefully pushing Mettaton back down onto the couch, adverting any and all eye contact. After Mettaton had finally settled in after grumbling to himself, Papyrus rushed back into the kitchen to tend to the pot that was now boiling over spilling hot water onto the floor. Papyrus oh so  _smoothly_ controlled the situation, and by that context, it was filled with panicking and rushing around in the kitchen until a rag was found to wipe up the water and the stove was shut off. 

"You okay in there, Paps?" Mettaton questioned from the couch, worry in his voice.

"Yes, yes! Everything is fine! Better than fine! The finest of fines." Papyrus rambled on, trying to get everything in order and back to a less hectic state. 

Eventually, Papyrus was able to leave the kitchen and return back to Mettaton's side, smiling nervously at the other who only perked an eyebrow in response. It seemed as though Mettaton and Sans had something in common and that was perking eyebrows.

"How are you feeling?" Papyrus asked, concern displayed on his face for his friend/neighbor.  Were they friends? It'd never been officially established but Papyrus liked to think all the nights talking and time together that they had become friends without the need to state it out loud. Yes, they were friends. Definitely. Papyrus was, of course, the finest of friend material!

They were the best of friends!

"Like someone took a hammer to my head, Pappy." Mettaton whined. Almost at the drop of a dime, Mettaton shot up, a contrast to his sluggish actions merely seconds ago. With that, Mettaton was off, darting off the couch and headed straight for the bathroom, in record time as well! Papyrus watched as Mettaton left without a word and bit his lip with concern after hearing the noises and profanity spewing from the bathroom. 

"Mettaton?" Papyrus called, making his way over. 

"D-don't come in here!" Mettaton groaned in between dry heaves, his face above the toilet, staring directly into the bowl as he sat on the ground. 

Papyrus let out a sigh and decided to disobey Mettaton, coming in regardless of what he said. He knelt down behind Mettaton, placing a hand on Mettaton's back and began to rub soothing circles as he silently waited while Mettaton has a friendly reunion with what he ate last night. It was quiet, no conversation was made, no attempts, it was just Papyrus there by Mettaton's side and Mettaton regretting every life choice. 

After a bit, Mettaton leaned his forehead on the edge of the cool toilet seat, motioning to Papyrus for some toilet paper. He then wiped his mouth and tossed the wad of paper into the toilet. 

"This is absolutely disgusting..." Mettaton commented before flushing the toilet and using Papyrus's assistance to stand up. Papyrus offered a supportive smile to Mettaton who only glared back. The two of them made their way back to the couch, Papyrus gently sat Mettaton down, and went to attend to the pasta. The rest of their time was filled up with Mettaton complaining about how this must be fate punishing him for being too talented/handsome and whining for several cups of water. 

The two of them ate their food (kindly made by master chef Papyrus) and idly chatted. In the middle of the conversation, Mettaton vowed never to touch an ounce of alcohol again, since it wasn't worth the hangover. Papyrus smiled and told him it was a good decision.  Conversation between the two hardly ever died out, the two always found something to talk about, and even when nothing would come, the silence was comforting. 

It was nice.

Papyrus seemed to notice (as oblivious as he was) that Mettaton wanted to say something, like, as if he couldn't really bring himself to sound out the words or something. Not wanting to make Mettaton uncomfortable by bringing this up, Papyrus concentrated on his own plate, occasionally glancing up at Mettaton. Mettaton seemed to be doing the same, and every once in a while, their eyes would lock before the two averted their gazes once more. 

Eventually, Papyrus was caught off guard when he noticed Mettaton standing up and grabbing both of their plates. He walked them over to the kitchen, and Papyrus followed him, watching over his shoulder. 

"I can clean them if you want, Mettaton. I was the one who cooked!" Papyrus offered, only to be caught even more off guard by a soft chuckle coming from the smaller one. Papyrus instantly loved the way Mettaton laughed, and decided he would like to hear a lot more of it. 

"Don't be silly, Paps. I've got this." Mettaton said, turning on the faucet. "It's the least I can do." 

While Mettaton washed the dishes, Papyrus lingered around in the kitchen, unsure of what to do while Mettaton was preoccupied. Maybe clean up the living room? What about the bedroom? It felt rather awkward not doing something at the moment, ever since he lived with Sans when they were smaller, he was always doing something and that's the way he liked it. So, instead of doing either of those ideas, he instead just watched over Mettaton's shoulder once more. By the looks of it, Mettaton didn't seem to mind. Either that, or he didn't notice.

"Alright, Papyrus, I was thinking we could watch a few movies-" Mettaton began, turning around as the words caught in his throat. 

"Everything okay, Mettaton? Are you not feeling well?" Papyrus asked, worry evident in his expression. 

Instead of words, Mettaton gave his answer with a kiss. 

His lips were chapped and trembling, he was too short and was standing on his toes to reach Papyrus, he was shaking slightly and the whole endeavor was nothing like the movies, but that was perfectly fine, and honestly, Papyrus thought it was way better than any romance movie depicted. 

Most definitely. 

Papyrus leaned into the kiss as well, bending down a bit for Mettaton. Instead of fireworks going off and everything falling into place after the reciprocation of the kiss, Mettaton pulled away quickly, guilt on his face and something indescribable in his eyes. 

"I shouldn't have done that..." Mettaton whispered, quickly moving away from Papyrus. 

Alright, Papyrus _now_  had no idea what was going on. This was absolutely nothing like the movies. 

"Mettaton?" Papyrus tried to comfort him, only to have Mettaton practically trip over himself. 

"I'm- I'm really sorry Papyrus. I didn't think. I shouldn't have done that. You. You need to leave. I'm really sorry, Papyrus." Mettaton began saying, followed by a stream of apologies and regret. 

"Mettaton, are you crying?" Papyrus asked softly. 

" _Please._ I need to be alone. It's better if you go." Mettaton was breaking, or so it seemed. That, more than anything, scared Papyrus. 

"Mettato-" 

" _ **Go!**_ "

With that, Papyrus nodded quickly, and left the apartment in record time, leaving Mettaton alone to his own devices. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo boy.  
> That was something.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!!! Guess who is back!!! It's me!!!! After a very long break from this fic, I am back, hopefully for a long time because I really do enjoy this fic a bunch but I just needed a break from everything for the sake of my mental health. But, whoo, I'm here now! Anyways, I have also missed all of you very dearly and your words of encouragement really mean a lot to me! (I would occasionally go through the comments and end up grinning like an idiot bc wow those nice words mean so much to me!) Let's get this show on the road!

"Hey Mettaton? It's Papyrus again. I just wanted to let you know I made some extra spaghetti in case you're hungry! It seems you've been in your apartment for about a week now... so I thought that perhaps you were getting hungry!! So, uhm, I'll just leave the plate outside your door...for you to eat...when you are ready." Papyrus spoke nervously, placing down the plate of food in the hallway by Mettaton's door. He picked up the other plate that had been left out and untouched all night. Papyrus bit his lip slightly with an odd sense discomfort, knowing that Mettaton probably didn't even bother to eat worried him more than it should've for someone he just met not even two months ago.

Probably because he blamed himself for what happened. 

Papyrus retreated back to his apartment clearing the plate into the trash and scrubbing the surface of it under hot water, a tad bit too hot for the sensitive skin, yet he didn't mind all that much or even bother to turn down the temperature of the water. Papyrus placed the plate on the drying rack on the counter after it was decided spotless, taking a few steps back to make sure everything was back in its place; placing wet hands on his hips before realization hit and quickly removing them to dry with a towel that he had received as a housewarming gift from Toriel. It was thoughtful of her to think of him even when she had a life of her own to live with Sans. Papyrus made a mental note to visit the two of them sometime.

It had been about a week since he and Mettaton had even seen each other; let alone talk. Initially he thought nothing of it, wondering if perhaps Mettaton had simply fallen ill or taken to the habit of sleeping in late. Two days had passed and not once did he ever see Mettaton leave his apartment, to collect his mail, to buy groceries, to do _something._  That was when the worry started to take root. Thinking of so many ways that something could've gone wrong; Mettaton dying in his bed and nobody noticing, him falling off the railing like he almost did before, moving out of the apartment, growing to hate Papyrus and never wanting to see him again! The thoughts were ceaseless, endless, each progressively more outlandish than the last. Then followed the guilt and the plates that piled up outside the man's door as an attempted apology. Papyrus had tried to make sure each plate was filled with nutritious food that Mettaton was sure to like (Spaghetti). Yet, despite his efforts to get Mettaton to actually open the door, even just a crack, he was always met with the cold, thin wood of his entrance.

Too thin.

Papyrus wouldn't admit it, but every once in a while, he'd sit outside of Mettaton's apartment, his ear pressed against the door in an attempt to hear anything. It was usually quiet whenever he checked, although one day he distinctly remembered hearing the television in Mettaton's livingroom. His best guess to the movie was the Notebook. Fairly certain that Mettaton was into those types of cheesy romances, it brought some ease to his mind that Mettaton had not tragically died all alone. Although, that joy of the continued life of Mettaton was soon replaced with a bittersweet feeling, he was alive, so that meant that things were not okay between the two of them, or there was someone hired to kill Mettaton and he was seeking refuge in his own apartment, locking himself in to stay alive!

Both were plausible. 

It was growing late in the day that Papyrus decided to start making his next meal for Mettaton, this time it was- no, not spaghetti, although that was a good idea- it was ravioli (duh). He placed the ingredients down on the counter next to the stove, spreading them out for optimal cooking space. Papyrus bent over and pulled out a few pots and pans from his cabinet, placing them on the stove. This was how you made ravioli, right? Yes. He thought so. Papyrus placed his hands on his hips, taking a look at all his gear laid out before him. He had no clue how to make ravioli. Of course, that wasn't going to stop him from doing his damned best at  _trying_ to make it. Papyrus yanked out his phone from his apron, the one he got from Sans for his 18th birthday, although it was made by Toriel, it was a gift from the two of them, and began to search up how to make ravioli.

After several unsuccessful attempts of looking up how to make recipes (mainly due to the fact that papyrus never used the backspace button even after typos) he placed the phone back into the tiny little apron pocket and began to put away the ingredients.

"Alright! I guess Spaghetti it is!" Papyrus nodded his head to himself, as if it took a lot of thought to come to the decision to make the noodles. Hell, Papyrus was now executive chief decision-maker of the kitchen and Spaghetti was the ONLY thing on the menu from now on because it was a food fit for the gods...and humans. Humans like himself. Himself and Mettaton. 

It wasn't too long until Papyrus set the noodles into the boiling pot of water to let it cook. He decided that this time he could be a bit more lenient (just a bit) with the food and went off to do some chores in the next room over, consisting of waiting by the door in case Mettaton needed him, picking up the pillows that somehow always made it on the ground, and looking out the hole of the door to see if Mettaton was out there. He had been doing this routine for the past 3 days, it helped ease his anxiety a bit to know that he didn't miss a chance to speak with Mettaton in case Mettaton wanted to talk. 

Papyrus was lost in his thoughts while picking up the pillows from off the ground that he heard the muffled yet familiar slide of a glass door. He perked up, dropping all the pillows that he was cradling in his arms and began to freak out. Papyrus took the moment by the handles and leaped towards the door to his balcony, practically yanking it open and possibly off doorframe, leaning outwards into the outside. There, the next balcony over, was a startled Mettaton. 

Papyrus instantly stood up straight and moved over to the railing of his balcony, filled with excitement and relief. Despite his excitement, Mettaton had looked as if he had seen a ghost and was going for the handle of his door while ducking his head, as if to make a quick escape into his apartment where he had been in for the last week. 

"Wait wait wait! Mettaton!" Papyrus called out frantically, waving his arms in an attempt to draw notice to him, thinking that Mettaton hadn't seen him.

Mettaton released his grip on the door and turned to look at Papyrus who was practically about to leap off the railing in an attempt to stop Mettaton from leaving. Mettaton quickly rushed over to the edge of the railing, easing Papyrus.

"Okay, okay, I'm here. Just- get off the damn railing Papyrus." Mettaton hissed, glancing around to see if anybody else was out on their balconies to see this display. 

Papyrus smiled widely once more, getting off the railing back onto his balcony, excitement filling his visage once more. 

This was the first time Papyrus had seen Mettaton in a week and all he could think of was how tired and pale Mettaton seemed at the moment. Not only that, but Mettaton had bags under  his eyes, which brought to notice the fact that Mettaton wasn't wearing any makeup whatsoever. Not even eyeliner. This was the first time Papyrus had ever seen him without anything on, not even lipstick. Mettaton seemed so bare at the moment and it was such an odd feeling that Papyrus noticed, seeing Mettaton's expressive face, all plain but still had it's beauty. 

"It's been a week, Mettaton! I was so worried! I really was, I made you food and waited for you to come out of your apartment after you kicked me out! Did you eat okay, you didn't eat any of the food I left outside your door so I'm assuming you made your own food? Was it good? Nutritious? Did you eat your vegetables" Papyrus began to blurt out, saying everything that came to mind, which was a lot. "here, just lemme come over! We can talk then!" Papyrus concluded.

"Fine, I guess that's fine.." Mettaton began to turn towards the door, possibly to go let Papyrus in before out of his peripheral vision he saw Papyrus getting onto the railing. 

"Woah, woah, woah! What do you think you're doing Papyrus?! Get off the railing, you're going to fall! Just go the other way around, I'll unlock the door!" Mettaton spoke, rushing over to his railing of the balcony in an attempt to reason with Papyrus.

"It's quicker this way, Mettaton!" Papyrus shouted.

"Don't you dare!" Mettaton warned.

"Dare what?" 

"Don't play stupid, Paps. You know what!" 

"Haven't a clue!" 

With that, Papyrus leaped off the railing of his balcony to Mettaton's, latching onto the railing with his hands and climbing over it with ease. Papyrus brushed himself off with a confident smile, feeling pretty great about that excellent maneuver only to end up confused when Mettaton hit his shoulder. It wasn't a very hard slap on the shoulder but Papyrus could tell that Mettaton definitely meant it right now.

"Mettaton?" Papyrus questioned, looking at the shorter man curiously.

"Don't... don't do that. You almost gave me a heart attack! You could've fallen and DIED!  I will NOT be held responsible for your death, Papyrus! You can't pin that on me! I have a reputation to uphold!" Mettaton scolded, growing more confident near the end which Papyrus took note of. 

"Were you worried about me?" Papyrus asked, leaning down to get a look at Mettaton's face. 

Mettaton faltered.

"What?! No, no, no! Definitely not." Mettaton looked away from Papyrus, crossing his arms quickly, drawing into himself further, biting his lips. "You're such an idiot. Don't go leaping off balconies like that, the landlord will murder you. Now, let's get inside before you do something even more rash." Mettaton groaned, opening the door to his apartment and walking in, Papyrus following behind him. 

The first thing Papyrus noticed when he walked through the door was the odd odor that was throughout the apartment, he couldn't exactly pin what it was but it smelled like something that was a few days older than it should be. He ignored the smell as he followed Mettaton into the living room, taking a seat next to the pile of magazines strewn about the couch. Mettaton seemed a bit on edge, glancing about his own room pushing things into piles out of sight.

"Sorry...it's kind of a mess." Mettaton apologized, pushing his unkempt hair out of his face.

Papyrus softly smiled "Don't worry about it!" He assured Mettaton, setting him at ease before patting the space next to him. Mettaton took the seat next to him and gave a sigh, slumping his shoulders a bit next to Papyrus. Papyrus glanced around the room a bit more, there were plates piled up, instead of finding it rather disgusting, Papyrus was just glad that Mettaton had been eating the whole week. 

For the few moments following Papyrus's reassurance, the two were quiet. It wasn't the kind of quietness that felt right, it was one that sat in the air building up, getting denser in the room and bringing a sense of discomfort between the two. Mettaton took the first move by turning towards Papyrus, looking him in the eyes, somewhat guiltily. 

"Alright, let's talk, Paps." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> communication is key my dudes
> 
> anyways, i hope you enjoyed the chapter and hopefully you guys forgive me for vanishing!!
> 
> also, we all know that spaghetti on the stove is done for


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, I had to re-read my own fanfic to figure out where I left off. It's been a while. More than a year since I've looked at this fic lmao
> 
> I've decided to continue this fic after originally discontinuing it since I got a message from someone a little bit back telling me how much they had loved it and didn't want it to be discontinued. So, yeah! It was a sweet message and kinda inspired me to keep writing!!

The two stared at each other for a bit longer after Mettaton's declaration, almost turning into a staring contest until Mettaton began to retreat back into whatever shell he had spent the last week in, averting his eyes and admitting defeat to this imaginary competition. Small movements brought Papyrus's attention to Mettaton's hands as they clenched and unclenched the fabric of his clothes. Papyrus carefully placed his own over Mettaton's hand to still them, feeling them tense up a bit before relaxing once more. He offered another encouraging smile as he slightly nodded his head. Mettaton finally met his eyes once more and the two of them locked on to each other again. 

 "I wanted to say sor-" Papyrus began.

"No. Stop right there, Paps. There's no need for an apology. You didn't do anything wrong. I was the one who messed up" Mettaton admitted, swallowing heavy and took an unsteady breath "I did something I shouldn't have...I-I don't know what I was thinking." 

"Thinking about what?" Papyrus coaxed.

"I thought that...I thought..." Mettaton huffed, frustration was clearly evident that he couldn't easily put it into words. That was okay. Papyrus had all the time in the world for him right now. "I thought that...I could do it and everything would fall into place. Kiss you, I mean. That it might mean nothing to either of us or it might mean nothing, and either answer I swore I was going to be alright with. I wanted so badly to confirm  _something_ after what felt like so long skirting around each other and any feelings that might be. I didn't consider how you'd feel or how it might change what our friendship is now." He finished, shoulders slumping slightly.

"I never even once thought about what would come after, and I ran. I ran and I locked myself away like a coward because I was too scared to find out what came next." Mettaton let out a hoarse, miserable laugh that rattled Papyrus's ribs, rebounding throughout him in all the ways that felt  _wrong._ It was then that Papyrus realized he didn't ever want to hear that miserable of a laugh come out of Mettaton again. He gave a light squeeze to Mettaton's hands and then removed them, beginning to fiddle with the hem of his own shirt. 

"Mettaton if that's what you're worried about, I want to let you know that I did like it. It was sudden, yes, but I liked it! It was also a little dry but- oops, sorry." Papyrus ended, watching Mettaton duck his head a little bit lower at the last part. 

"I felt- I feel incredibly guilty. Like I used you to figure out my own feelings. Papyrus, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have run off and I shouldn't have done it in the first place." Mettaton admitted, tensing a little bit when Papyrus placed a hand on top of his hair, ruffling it slightly and letting out a small laugh. Mettaton looked at Papyrus, bewilderment in every inch of his face, Papyrus noticed, before he gave Mettaton a smile. 

"It is water under the bridge! The bridge is metaphorical in this case. So is the water. It's a metaphor! A Mettaton of Mettaphors!" Papyrus joked, eliciting a small smile from Mettaton that couldn't contain itself. He watched as Mettaton rolled his eyes, his smile growing wider as he attempted to stifle a laugh. 

"That was bad, darling" Mettaton commented, in between laughs.

"But! It made you smile!" Papyrus: 1. Mettaton: 0. 

 Papyrus noticed that Mettaton's laughing didn't cease, in fact, it grew louder and louder. Sure, he was the master of jokes but this was growing worrisome. Papyrus furrowed his brows in worry as he watched the man. It took a little bit longer to realize that the laughter had turned into sobs, heartbroken sobs as Mettaton quickly hid his face. Papyrus was tempted in calling Sans to ask what to do about the situation but quickly realized that wouldn't be the best call to make. Instead, he wrapped his arms around his friend, pulling him into his chest as he felt the sobs shake the both of them. 

He began to trace patterns into Mettaton's back, mainly spelling out 'Spaghetti' and a lot of swirls. He had seen Sans do this a number of times, mainly from the time he had consoled Toriel on their lost child. He shook the memory out of his mind for now and instead returned his attention to the man who seemed to be breaking apart at the seams in his arms. 

Papyrus had zoned out for a while, idly drawing designs into Mettaton's back. He was brought back to the present moment when he felt Mettaton shift and eventually pull away from Papyrus. His eyes red but seemingly composed. Papyrus wondered how many times Mettaton had to pull himself back together before the two met.  

"Are you feeling better?" Papyrus asked.

"Yes. Wow, that was...embarrassing. Sorry, you had to see that. I promise this is not part of my daily beauty routine at  _all_." Mettaton smiled, rubbing his eyes slightly. "Sorry about your shirt" Mettaton added, which prompted Papyrus to look down at the tear-stains left on him. He shot a smile back at Mettaton, an assurance it was okay. 

"So...if I can ask...did you figure out your feelings, Mettaton?" Papyrus asked, slowly progressing back onto the topic at hand.

Mettaton seemed caught off guard by his inquiry but nodded, "I did. I think I like you?"

"Oh? Well, wonderful! I also like you too!" Papyrus grinned "Does this mean that we can....y'know...." 

Papyrus watched as Mettaton raised an eyebrow. He and Sans had a knack for doing that. 

"Oh? Oh.  _Oh._ " Mettaton understood now. 

Papyrus watched him like a puppy as Mettaton digested what Papyrus wanted. What he wanted as well. But...

"I'm sorry. I thought I was ready to jump into something but I'm not and I realized that. I do have feelings for you Papyrus, but to have these feelings and actually turn these feelings into something is very different." Mettaton admitted, lowering his eyes to stare at his hands. "There's a lot of things going on with me, a lot of things that...well...it's unsightly and complicated and a lot. I don't want to drag you into what I'm going through any more than I already did." Mettaton finished, expecting some sort of backlash or anger or misunderstanding from Papyrus. It wasn't rejection but it was close. 

The silence began to fill the space between the two of them, enveloping both Papyrus and Mettaton as they thought of words to say. Finally, Papyrus spoke up.

"I understand. Sans always said I needed to be more conscientious of what people are going through, and it seems you're going through a lot right now. So maybe diving into a relationship isn't what you need right now. Right?" 

Mettaton blinked, surprised by how Papyrus had grasped what he said and how easily he understood it. 

"Yeah...I'm sorry Pappy. I'm just not very 'alright' to get into something with you. It wouldn't be fair to either of us." Mettaton sighed, apology etched on his face. 

Papyrus shook his head and patted Mettaton on the shoulder. "Need not worry about it, Mettaton! If there's one thing I am, it's patient. And tall. And handsome. And an excellent cook. Turns out I'm many things. But, I can wait if you need time. Until you feel 'alright' to get into something." Papyrus offered. 

"Yeah. Thank you for understanding." Mettaton said, opening his mouth to say more until he was interrupted by the growl of his own stomach. He quickly covered it and sunk back into the couch seat, red in the face. 

Papyrus squinted. "Was that your stomach?" 

"Yes." 

"This cannot do! I'm making you food right now!" Papyrus shot out of the seat, springing to his feet, back to life. He swiveled around to look at Mettaton who was recovering from their embarrassment. 

"You really don't have to Pappy" 

"Oh yes, I do! As your number one friend, fan, and supporter, I have to!" Papyrus boasted, before practically running to the kitchen.

Mettaton glanced down at his hands, tracing over them with his eyes before hearing the clatter of kitchen pots from the room over. 

"Is everything okay?" He called out.

"Just peachy! 

Mettaton sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Ew. He really needed a shower. He left the couch to make his way into the bathroom, trusting Papyrus more than he probably should to not burn down his apartment. Mettaton closed and locked the door before exhaling in relief, leaning against the wood. It felt amazing to finally be talking to Papyrus again but he knew that there was a long road ahead of him. Ahead of the both of them. He began to smooth down his clothes before hissing, pulling his hand away quickly from the source of pain. He grimaced. Still, it wasn't healed. He made a mental note to rebandage it after his shower. 

He discarded his clothes and the bandages, kicking them into the corner of his bathroom as he turned on the water. 

It was going to be a long day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray! They finally talked it out! It only took a year for this conversation to happen (Sorry for the apparent hiatus, although I guess it's better than just straight-up discontinuing it which I did for a year) anyways hooraaaah!!!


End file.
